With the help of the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the actor has been visiting with Connor McGrath, a 13-year-old cancer patient and major “Deadpool” fanatic, over the last few months. But on Thursday, Reynolds shared the news of McGrath’s death on Facebook in a moving tribute to his friend, who he says embodied “everything Deadpool aspires to be.”

Described by Reynolds as a “smart” and “funny” young man, who was “a great friend, a great son, and a light to the people lucky enough to know him,” McGrath made quite the impression on the Canadian actor.

Reynolds met McGrath earlier this year, but the two have spent every day since then sending each other “pages and pages of hilarious texts.”

In fact, Reynolds revealed that McGrath was the first person to see “Deadpool.” The “Green Lantern” actor writes that he brought a rough cut of the film (complete with unfunny jokes and wires) to be screened at the hospital in Alberta, Canada. But when he visited again six weeks later, Reynolds sensed the teen’s time might be limited.